1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to protective covering devices generally, and more particularly, to a protective covering device for motor vehicles, and/or similarly situated objects, exposed to the natural elements while parked or at rest temporarily, or for an extended period of time, such device being easy to operate, transport and store.
2. Preliminary Discussion
Protective vehicle covers come in all shapes and sizes. Of course, the most permanent type of vehicle cover is the "attached" or "detached" garage, which is either connected to a residence or situated adjacent thereto, but still within the property line. The least permanent type of covering for a large object such as a motor vehicle is usually in the form of a weather-resistant, one-piece cover, or custom-designed fitted cover. For vehicle owners residing in apartment buildings without attached or detached garages, for example, this is usually the only available option. Obviously, the most expensive and effective type of covering is the garage. However, one-piece fitted covers and the like can also become expensive if they are stolen, which is often a problem in today's society, or if the owner changes cars, thereby necessitating the purchase of a new "fitted" cover.
Temporary or permanent vehicle covers primarily serve the purpose of providing protection against the natural elements, such as wind, rain and more particularly acid rain, airborne debris, sun, dust, leaves and branches, mischievous youth, animal droppings and other organic matter, and the like. More particularly, temporary covers may be desirable to vehicle owners for several reasons. They are particularly appealing in today's upwardly mobile, transient society, since they are easily transportable to any new location. Temporary covers are also desirable away from the home at short term parking locations such as at one's place of employment, or at long term parking locations such as at a self-storage facility or an airport. Temporary covers would also be desirable for new and used car dealers and rental agencies, particularly since vehicle appearance is a driving factor in customer satisfaction and appreciation.
Protective covers are, however, only effective if they are easily and conveniently available and hassle-free. For example, storing one's vehicle in an attached garage is essentially effortless, and usually only requires the push of a button on an automatic garage door opener. Storing one's vehicle under a custom-fitted cover, however, can be quite discouraging at times, particularly when the cover is wet and cluttered with debris. One going to work on a dreary, rainy morning, or even during storm conditions, would generally not look forward to removing, cleaning, and storing a custom-fitted car cover that is completely soaked and lined with fallen debris, particularly since one is likely to get wet and dirty in the process, and more particularly if there is no convenient, dry storage location for the now-soaked car cover, which is also now susceptible to mildew damage and the like. In fact, situations such as just described sometimes tend to make temporary vehicle covers a hassle to use and store.
3. Description of Related Art
Unfortunately, although the objective has always been to provide the user with convenience in protecting his/her vehicle, prior art vehicle covers have been often cumbersome in design and/or tedious and complicated in use. There is a clear evolution within the temporary vehicle cover art, progressing from the simple to the complex. This evolution demonstrates a clear need to reevaluate and reassess the factors that drive the decision to purchase and use temporary vehicle covers. It appears that the prior art has become cluttered with complicated devices that undoubtedly provide protection, but appear to neglect the totality of human purchasing and use factors, namely easy of use, storage, transportation and relocation.
The earliest genre of temporary vehicle covers employed bumper-mounted, roll-carrying weather-resistant sheets. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,719,055 issued to J. H. Herzer on Jul. 2, 1929, entitled "Combination Bumper, Container, Tent, and Car Cover," discloses a bumper-attached roll of material that when drawn out, may be used as a tent externally of the vehicle or drawn over the vehicle and used as a car cover or the like. U.S. Pat. No. 1,918,423 issued to N. L. Persinger on Jul. 18, 1933, entitled "Automobile Cover Apparatus," discloses a rear bumper-mounted roll of material employing a draw string or cord to facilitate the extension of the cover over the automobile. The Persinger cover appears to be an enhancement over the Herzer cover, with the addition of a pull string and snap retained side cover flaps or extensions. A unique modification of the Herzer and Persinger apparatus is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 1,999,171 issued to C. L. Bryant on Apr. 30, 1935, entitled "Protective Device for Automobiles," which discloses a dual roller variation of an automobile cover mounted not on a bumper, but on an automobile roof. Another roof-mounted cover can be seen in U.S. Pat. 2,609,042 issued to J. C. Chamberlain on Sep. 2, 1952, entitled "Automobile Canopy," which discloses a portable, suction mounted dual roller housing positionable on the roof either longitudinally, whereby each cover would extend and enclose the car itself, or laterally, whereby the cover would extend to the sides of the automobile providing a tent like awning or shelter for an individual adjacent the exterior of the car.
Vehicle mounted covers would likely not fare well with today's aerodynamic, streamlined bodies, particularly since many of the newer vehicles are formed from easily-damageable plastic parts. One recent contribution to the art, namely, U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,842 issued to R. E. Ross et al. on Aug. 15, 1989, entitled "Self-Storing, Retractable Automobile Cover," which discloses a removably attached, power operated, automobile cover for placement on the front or rear bumper of an automobile, requires the attachment of a pair of tubular mounting lugs to the chassis. It would appear that the most convenient type of car covering would not require the addition or removal of extraneous mounting means to or from the vehicle body. Another recent contribution is U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,079 issued to C. Ho on May 7, 1991, entitled "Telescopically-Operated Vehicle Canopy," which discloses a body mounted, gear driven canopy cover designed to telescopically cover and protect a vehicle. The Ho apparatus requires a physical alteration to the vehicle. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,502 issued to S. Wang on Mar. 26, 1996, entitled "Foldable Vehicle Cover," discloses a vehicle attached car cover stored in the actual frame of the vehicle such that it forms almost a secondary bumper facade.
The next generation of vehicle covers can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,097,923 issued to C. W. Hutchinson on Nov. 2, 1937, entitled "Car Protector," which discloses a wall mounted or free standing car cover having a roller operated sheet of material that extends over a car and preferably hooks or attaches or is firmly secured to the rear bumper thereof. The Hutchinson reference is a departure from the previously described references in that such cover is not car or bumper mounted. A variation of the Hutchinson reference can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,128 issued to J. M. Burgess on May 30, 1989, entitled "Automobile Cover Device," which discloses a tire positioning placement guide to maintain a car in a fixed position for receiving a flexible cover draped thereon. Another variety of this type of covering is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,995,137 issued to W. F. Cothern on Aug. 8, 1961, entitled "Vehicle Rain Shelter," which discloses a flexible covering specifically designed to protect the front windshield of a vehicle at drive-in theaters or the like. Yet a further variety of this type can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,612 issued to J. Kiss et al. on Feb. 12, 1991, entitled "Storage Mechanism for Vehicle Covering," which discloses a removably attachable support structure for coveting, with such covering also designed to be removably detached from the storage reel once such covering is placed over a vehicle.
Another genre of vehicle covers could be termed the "ribbed"-type covers, since they generally feature ribs or stiff bracing members positioned along the cover canopy. An example of this type of cover can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,598,940 issued to F. D. Robie on Jun. 3, 1952, entitled "Collapsible Cover for Vehicles," which discloses a series of "bows" about which flexible material is stretched, in a foldable or retractable structure designed to extend over the exterior of the vehicle, with means to attach the cover to the underbelly of such vehicle. Another example can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,798,501 issued to J. F. Oliver on Jul. 9, 1957, entitled "Collapsible Housing Structure," which discloses a similarly formed structure having a tire-placement piece for proper positioning of the vehicle prior to extension of the housing about the vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,083 issued to M. Gamache on Dec. 12, 1989, entitled "Vehicle Cover," discloses a variation of the Robie and Oliver references, having an extendable ground-rail and a longitudinally extendable foundation, while U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,826 issued to M. P. Nevin et al. on Apr. 21, 1998, entitled "Collapsible Storage Structure," discloses a variation on the previously described Gamache reference, further comprising a slide rail type assembly with means to support the fully extended cover on the ground and additional means to lock the structure in a closed position. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,237 recently issued to G. A. Arnic on May 5, 1998, entitled "Portable Garage," discloses a gear driven, automatic, portable carport that may be triggered by the movement of the car into or away from the carport, or it may be activated electronically by external means.
In addition, some unique contributions to the art can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,535 issued to D. S. Battle on Feb. 16, 1982, entitled "Flood Protection Container for Vehicles," which discloses in essence a big baggy for a car designed to completely enclose the car during potential flood situations, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,000 issued to S. B. Wang on Sep. 27, 1994, entitled "Inflatable Multi-Air-Bag Cover for Cars," which discloses a multi-unit inflatable cushion for the exterior of a car.
The present inventor has recognized numerous deficiencies within the prior art. First, several of the prior art designs either attach directly to the owner's vehicle or require a structural modification thereof. It is believed that the most useful type of protective device should be the least intrusive to the chassis of the owner's vehicle. Another problem recognized by the present inventor is a lack of weather resistance in prior art framing structures. Many of the recent introductions to the field operate on a sliding track system, where the track itself is exposed to the elements. Of course, this presents problems in those areas of the country that experience a lot of storm-related debris or changing of the seasons. Furthermore, the more recent "ribbed" type car covers can be quite bulky at times, particularly when the covering includes series of stiffening members that add weight to the cover, involve additional, often complicated manufacturing steps, and create the potential for breakage, thereby disrupting the entire protective system. The ribbed-type car covers also create a type of fixed geometry, whereby the spatial dimensions of the cover are not easily modified and workable.
There is a need, therefore, for a protective covering device that is simple to use, easy to manufacture, effortless in its operation, and easy to handle by all generations. The present inventor has created a device that fulfills such need.
The present invention employs many features that overcome these aforementioned problems within the prior art. The present invention requires no modification to one's present vehicle, is a freestanding, independent device, and is capable of dimensional adjustment to accommodate a variety of vehicle shapes and sizes. This is particularly useful should the vehicle owner opt to upgrade his or her present vehicle. The adjustability of the present invention allows it to cover a new vehicle as easily as the previous vehicle, leaving the previous vehicle in an unaltered state for resale or trade.
An improvement of the present invention over existing devices is the self-contouring, non-ribbed cover itself. Because the cover is a single sheet of flexible material without unwieldy stiffening members, it is able to be withdrawn from the vehicle and stored within a minimum of space. The self contouring cover is also able to accommodate a variety of vehicle shapes, from standard sub-compacts to sport utility vehicles. Furthermore, the lack of stiffening members cuts out needless manufacturing steps for an otherwise simple structure. Simplicity contributes to the commercial viability of any product in the form of decreased manufacturing costs, which are passed along to the customer, and an increase in user satisfaction resulting from ease of use, storage and operation.
Indeed, perhaps the most unique and significant improvement of this invention over prior art is the storage of the flexible covering on a spring-loaded roller mechanism that is not, in any way, attached to the object to be covered. This mechanism allows the covering to be rapidly applied and rapidly withdrawn with minimal effort on the part of the user. Additionally, the cover, when retracted, is assisted by the spring-loaded mechanism, thereby making the uncovering of the object essentially effortless, while the roller completely eliminates the need for folding and for locating suitable storage. The roller assembly is also stored within a preferably self-cleaning protective housing that assists in removing debris from the outer surface of the cover and shields the stored cover from the natural elements. In addition, the cover itself is designed to be both gravity retained with respect to covering a vehicle, yet air decelerated when being placed over a vehicle so it does not merely drop over the vehicle onto the ground, but is gently conveyed thereover without the use of either separate or integral spring or other buffer or deceleration devices.